Kathmandu, Nov 2: Nepal's major political parties Tuesday agreed on a historical deal to conclude a five-year peace process through consensus.

The political leaders today signed a historic agreement on army integration, constitution drafting and power-sharing, according to highly placed sources.

As per the deal, the army would take in 6,500 of the 19,000 Maoists who fought the government in the 10-year civil war, which claimed 16,000 lives.

UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Prachanda, Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala, CPN-UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal and Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha leader Bijay Kumar Gachhadar signed the time-bound agreement that commits these political forces to forge a national consensus on completing the peace and constitution making process.  Emerging from the conclusive negotiations, Prachanda described the deal as milestone and assured of its implementation.

As per the deal, the regrouping of combatants along with the return of the properties seized during the conflict to rightful owners and dismantling of the paramilitary structure of the Young Communist League will be completed before November 23.

The United States has welcomed the deal saying, “We welcome the landmark agreement by the political parties to move forward on the peace process, including on the integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants.”

“We encourage all those involved to move quickly to implement the agreement, and we remain committed to supporting the process as appropriate,” the US Embassy said. 

“We commend all parties involved for their statesmanship and leadership in forging consensus in this crucial area, which marks a critical step forward in completion of the peace process.”